Since Get Golfing took over The Bristol on June 30th, demand for the course has been unprecedented. Due to the volume of business and Covid restrictions, we have been unable to have an obvious impact on your clubhouse experience but, hopefully, you will have seen improvements in the course and its presentation.
Across the group we have invested circa £300,000 in new course machinery. When the clocks change we will be working with the three teams; course maintenance, food and beverage, and golf services on staff training so that by the start of next season (Covid allowing), you will have a far better member experience.
Club news
Members will be encouraged to learn that as part of Get Golfing’s investment programme in The Bristol, a planning application is being submitted for a new maintenance building to be built during November close to the driving range to centralise the maintenance within the site.
We are also upgrading the internals of the Clubhouse to expand the lounge and dining areas. In addition to refurbishing these areas and the function suite with new flooring, lighting designs, interior design as well as painting and decorating, we will be extending the bar. A schematic plan can be viewed here — 20.045.Priv.G 005 Proposed Plan – Option B copy— and we will be creating imagery of the new look for you to see next month.
Covid-19
The good news is that the new government regulations do not impact golf as we play in fours, rather than eights! As a result, we do not see any effect on matches, competitions or society days.
The only limitation will be in the clubhouse where we would ask golfers to remain in their four and not pull tables and chairs together, no matter how sociable that may feel.
In addition, could we ask Members to wait at their tables to be served rather than going up to the bar area. As part of our efforts to safeguard both staff and Members, we have introduced table service, which we hope will be more relaxing for everyone involved. We thank everyone for their patience and hope that we will be able to return to a more normal environment at some point!
It is important, however, to remember that the government is currently being pretty lenient with golf, particularly in terms of numbers on the course, let’s not give them a reason to change!
In the meantime here are some things you could do to limit your exposure — and the continued spread of the Covid-19 virus:
- Sanitise golf clubs and golf bag before setting out
- Keep your distance from others (6 feet +)
- Leave the flagstick in
- Use your gloved hand to handle items or the PPE gloves provided at check-in
- Do not share golf clubs
- Use the elbow bump
Course news
What a month it has been at The Bristol Golf Club! Historically this is one of our busiest months of the year and this year has been no different. From hosting multiple club competitions to visiting societies, it’s been great to see so many people enjoying the course.
While we are always striving to be better, I really feel that the green keeping team has stepped up its game this month. With continued investment and support from GetGolfing, we are showing what we are really about as a club.
We want to continue this progression and forge a reputation as one of the best clubs in the area, not just for select months in the summer but across the whole year. This will only happen with hard work and dedication from the team but also across the whole club.
You will have noticed from the digger and dumpers out on the course excavating new and old ditches that we have started the first major projects of the autumn/winter period.
The major works were carried out on the 9th hole, with the installation of a new ditch to the left of the rough, running down the hole, which connects over to the existing 8th ditch that flows out to a land drain on the adjacent road.
This new ditch will be the primary means of moving excess water away from one of the wettest parts of the course. We will be installing French drainage off this ditch across the fairway to improve the water movement and, ultimately, improve the playability of the hole.
If you look in the ditch you will see that we have a very shallow topsoil layer, which then sits on heavy alluvial clay. This means that when moisture is being pulled off the surface, it has a very shallow area to move through before it hits the clay layer. From that point onwards, the percolation infiltration rate dramatically slows and that is why we get the problem of the ground saturating.
To dig this new ditch to the correct depth and size to accommodate the volume of water we anticipate to flow through it took the best part of two weeks. We made sure the ditch was just over 4ft in width and depth to ensure the water can move along and out to the land drain at a good rate and not cause any large surges of water flow, which you get with narrower ditches.
We then started to excavate the existing ditches around the course, which was thankfully a much easier task because the land had previously been opened up when the ditches were originally dug.
Like the 9th ditch, we have ensured the width of the ditches is around 4ft and clear of any land clay and soil that may have collapsed into them over the years and so slowed the movement of water.
While all this work was going on, the other members of the team prepared for the rearranged Club Championship. We incorporated some tighter areas of cutting in front of tee boxes, lowering the heights of the rough to 1.75 inches and creating a true carry for any shots that landed short of the fairway. I love the look of these, which give us that extra attention to detail around the course. We are always looking to improve the course for all standards of golf and these little changes can really make the difference to your round.
The greens have gone from strength to strength over the last month, showcasing what we can produce with the correct staffing and investment. Over the Championship weekend the greens were running at an average of 11.5ft on the Stimp meter. Both days the greens were double cut and double rolled, holes were changed, tees, approaches and fairways were cut and bunkers raked.
It was a fantastic effort from the team, who really appreciated the many complimentary comments from members and guests. These mean a lot to us and make the 4am starts over the weekend well worth it.
Competition & event news
On September 19th and 20th we had our Men’s and Women’s Club Championships. The course was under amazing conditions over the two days with the greens running fast and true.
The competition was well fought seeing Rachel Paul (Pic 1: pictured right) winning the overall Gross and Ladies Captain Olwen Simpson (pictured left) winning the overall Nett for the Women’s Club Championship.
The Men’s Club Championship was contested closely, seeing Adam Gunn (Pic 2: pictured right) winning the Gross and Daniel Cockram (left with Men’s Captain Tony Crook) winning the Nett.
Members should note that the club will be holding a Society Masters event this year on October 8th as a way of thanking organisers for booking the club for their society. The shotgun start event will consist of 18-holes, lunch and prize giving afterwards. As a result the course will be very busy/closed on the day. It may be worthwhile to note that, alongside this fantastic incentive, all Members will be credited for 5% of the total price for a society they introduce. 
For upcoming competitions please click here.
Member news
Members will be pleased to learn that we have begun resolution of an issue with subscription payments that occurred in the transition to ownership by Get Golfing.
Issues with the accuracy of the data provided by Crown Golf at the time of the takeover meant that some Members, who were due to renew after July 1st, have not yet received a subscription payment request.
Rather than jump in with subscription demands, we delayed requests for payment until such time as we were more confident of the validity of the data.
We are now in a situation to start the process of requesting payment for arrears and setting up the forward monthly payments. We would encourage those Members to whom this applies to contact the office and we can resolve any issues.
To help us identify any continuing anomalies, those few Members whose renewal date has significantly elapsed will be temporarily suspended. Please do not be alarmed, we are doing this in order to bring this issue to a swift conclusion.
Freedom Play: Those of you still on Crown Golf’s legacy Freedom Play membership might like to consider moving to a new Get Golfing membership category on or before October 26th. From that date the points matrix will be changing and will not provide the same value as it has historically. By shifting to a Get Golfing category, you can take your points balance across to a Flexible Membership or to a monthly membership category and get better value and we will of course honour the remaining points balance you have.
In other news, from October 1st you will be able to use your Club Card across all Get Golfing sites (except Warley Park where we do not operate the clubhouse) and receive your discount at whichever club you play.
Golf news
With the World Handicap System about to take effect this coming November, many of you will be wondering how it will affect you.
- If your handicap is 6 and below it is likely to go down by one or stay the same;
- If your handicap is between 6 and 12 it is likely to go up or down by one but could stay the same;
- If your handicap is between 12 and 18 it is likely to stay the same or go up by one;
- If your handicap is between 18 and 24 it is likely to go up by one or two strokes;
- If your handicap is 24 or higher, it is likely to go up by two or three strokes.
So the lower you are, and therefore the more consistent you are, the more likely it is you will see your handicap go down when the new system starts.
The higher your handicap, the more likely it is you will have some extra shots with which to play.
Remember, these are only general opinions. Your handicap will ultimately depend on your performance over your last 20 scores, your consistency, and how many of those scores you have actually entered.
One thing is for sure, though. We will all be glued to that touchscreen when those figures finally appear.
Food & Drink news
We hope you have enjoyed our seasonal summer specials and the efforts made to provide a high quality service under trying conditions. We are currently working on our autumn and winter menus with a hugely experienced chef, who has worked with some of the greats in the business. We are also reviewing our wine, draught beer and spirits offerings and hope to bring you some delicious tipples to try.
We are also very keen to work with local suppliers and would welcome suggestions from Members about local produce that they would like to see featured on the food menu or at the bar. Send us a note or tell us when you are at the club.
Pro news
We are delighted to announce that Darryl Kelley has joined the club as a PGA Professional. He says, “I have been coaching golf for over 20 years and teach all levels from beginner to advanced, juniors, ladies and gents. I like to keep the lessons relaxed in order for us to get the most out of our time together. Lessons are available in all areas of the game from putting, bunker play, short game shots up to driving. Grab me at the club or call me on 07739 410 010 .”
https://www.bristolgolfclub.co.uk/golf/get-into-golf/
We also have a new teaching professional joining us at The Bristol Ryan Haskell is a Professional from Newport, Wales. Prior to joining The Bristol Golf Club, he has worked as an Assistant at The Celtic Manor Resort and Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club.
Before joining the PGA, he was fortunate to have played on the development tours throughout the south coast of the United States. After competing collegiately at NCAA level, whilst studying for a Bachelor’s Degree at Clayton State University, on a Golf Scholarship. He has also previously represented Wales, and has won the Victory Shield along with other county and national honours.
Ryan’s main focus at The Bristol Golf Club centres around providing a variety of coaching options to the current membership whilst also focusing on encouraging newcomers to the club, by hosting a variety of coaching sessions and making the game more appealing and enjoyable for everyone.
His contact details and pricing are below if you would like to get booked in:
PHONE – 07834737425 or EMAIL: [email protected]
Individual Tuition:
30 Minute Lesson – £30
1 Hour Lesson – £40
3 x 1 Hour Lessons – £100
* On course sessions are available upon demand